Rake F

English. Early 20C. Small hand Rake. Forged steel head with 7 tines stamped ‘SOLID TEETH’. Ash handle inserted into pierced socket. L 17 inches (43cms) W 4.75 inches (12cms).
The word ‘Rake’ is Anglo Saxon. They have been used for centuries for raking lawns and soil for weed removal. Originally lawn rakes were flat rather than toothed and referred to in 1706 in ‘The retir’d gardener’ as shoving irons or edging irons. They were also named ‘Rakers’. By the 19th century scrapers were used to remove worm casts and gravel from lawns.